eBooks that can be downloaded through the Library come in two main types:
Digital rights management (DRM) locks ebooks so they can be read only with authorised software.
DRM-free ebooks can be downloaded and read with any PDF viewer on any device.
To download and read Adobe DRM-protected files, you will need to get an app or ereader that supports the Adobe standard:
| Platform | Recommended app |
|---|---|
| Windows, Mac | Adobe Digital Editions |
| iOS (iPad, iPhone) | PocketBook Reader or Adobe Digital Editions with Safari |
| Android | PocketBook Reader or Adobe Digital Editions |
Other ereader devices and apps may also be able to view downloaded ebooks, as long as they support Adobe DRM. A list of supported platforms can be found here.
If your app asks for authorisation to read an ebook, enter an Adobe ID. You can register for an Adobe ID here.
You can read a DRM-protected ebook on multiple devices, as long as each device is using the same Adobe ID. Just download the ebook on each device you want to use.
We don’t recommend downloading ebooks to UniSA student computers, as you cannot save any files on these computers once your session has ended.
If you need to read a DRM-protected ebook on a student computer and then use it on your own devices, make sure to authorize Adobe Digital Editions with your personal Adobe ID, and deauthorize it before you log off.
Please note that the Bluefire Reader app mentioned in these guides is no longer free. For an alternative free app, please use PocketBook Reader.
No. If an ebook has a loan period set by DRM, it will automatically expire at the end of the loan. You will be unable to read the ebook on your devices after this.
Once an ebook loan has expired, you can reborrow the same book by downloading it again. There may be a time delay between your loan expiring and the ebook becoming available for reborrowing. To minimise this delay, try to return or delete the ebook in your app before the end of the loan period.
However, for ebooks by VitalSource, please ensure that you return your book once you have finished using it.
Adobe Digital Editions and other ereader apps have the ability to add bookmarks, highlights and notes to downloaded ebooks with DRM.
These annotations last only for the period in which you have borrowed the ebook. Once an ebook loan has expired, borrowing the same book again clears the annotations.
We recommend saving the content of any notes you have added to a downloaded ebook in a separate document before your ebook loan expires.